WordGarden.ionothing
A1Pronunciation
UK
- /nˈʌθɪŋ/
US
- /ˈnəθɪŋ/
Meanings
Pronoun
not anything; no thing at all
Noun
zero, especially as a score or amount
something or someone of no importance or value
Beyond the definition
"Nothing" may look simple, but it does a lot of work in everyday English. It means that there is not any thing there: no object, no amount, no result. You can use it for empty space ("There was nothing in the drawer"), for having very little ("He had nothing with him"), or for saying that something is not important ("It's nothing serious"). People also use it as a short answer, especially to hide or deny something: "What happened?" "Nothing." In many common phrases, it means "not at all" or "no reason for concern," as in "Nothing to worry about." At heart, it points to a blank place where you might expect something, but there is none.
"Nothing" is one of the most common words in English, and at its center it means a complete absence of a thing. If there is nothing in a box, the box is empty. If you know nothing about a topic, you have no knowledge of it. If a plan leads to nothing, it produces no result.
The word is useful because it works in many kinds of situations. It can refer to physical things ("There was nothing on the table"), money or possessions ("She had nothing left"), actions ("He did nothing all day"), feelings ("He felt nothing"), or importance ("It's nothing serious"). It is also a natural reply in conversation. When someone asks, "What are you doing?" a person might answer, "Nothing," meaning no special action or nothing they want to talk about.
"Nothing" appears in many everyday expressions. "Nothing to worry about" means there is no problem. "All for nothing" means an effort was wasted. "It was nothing" is a modest way to answer thanks. In some contexts, the word can suggest that something has no value or no importance, but the exact meaning depends on the sentence. So while the idea is simple, the word reaches into many parts of daily speech, always pointing back to the same basic idea: not any thing, not any amount, not any real result.
Examples
- 1
Empty fridge
There was nothing in the fridge except an old lemon.
- 2
Silence
I called her name, but she said nothing.
- 3
Food shortage
We had nothing to eat after the long trip.
- 4
Asking for help
There's nothing wrong with asking for help.
- Patternnothing wrong with + noun/-ing
acceptable or not a problem
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
No involvement
I have nothing to do with their argument.
- Patternhave nothing to do with + person/situation
not be involved in it
- 6
Casual answer
"What did you do this weekend?" "Nothing much."
- Usagenothing much
not very much; used in casual conversation
- 7
Book comparison
The movie was nothing like the book.
- Patternnothing like + noun
completely different from
- 8
Only one thing
She eats nothing but soup when she is sick.
- Phrasenothing but
only
- 9
Low cost
The repair cost almost nothing.
- Phrasealmost nothing
very little
- 10
Strong complaint
There's nothing worse than losing your keys in the rain.
- Patternnothing worse than + bad situation
used to strongly emphasize that something is very bad
- 11
Polite reply
Thanks, but it was nothing.
- Usageit was nothing
a polite way to say that no special thanks are needed
See also
Similar
- not anything
- not a thing
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- nothing to do with
- nothing but
- for nothing
- nothing at all
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- nothingnounadverb
Forms
- nothingspluralnounadverb